Intestinal parasites are worms that parasitize the human intestine, eating its contents or sucking blood from the intestinal wall.
In humans, they can cause serious and life-threatening diseases.It mostly occurs in children living in tropical and subtropical regions of rural Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Indonesia and Central and South America.
In people from the Mediterranean region of Europe and southern North America, they are relatively rare.
The size of an adult individual can reach from 1 millimeter to several meters.They attack the wall of the human intestine and begin to suck blood from it or live there freely, using nutrients.
The result of the vital activity of the parasite is inflammation of the small or large intestine, ulcers, anemia, and vitamin deficiency (especially A, C, B12).In more severe cases, intestinal obstruction may occur and then you need to contact the surgeon for help.
Larvae can also move to other organs (liver, spleen, bladder, muscles, lungs, brain), where they form cysts and cause allergic inflammation.
Infestation is the infection of humans, animals or plants by any type of parasite (including worms).
Symptoms of infection
Intestinal parasites can live in a person's intestines for years without causing any symptoms.
General symptoms and signs may appear weeks or months after an attack and include paleness, weakness, frequent fatigue (from anemia due to blood loss absorbed by the worms), sleep disturbances and weight loss.
Abdominal symptoms can last from several weeks to several months and include:
- Flatulence.
- Bad breath.
- Loss of appetite.
- vomiting
- Itching in the anal area.
- Diarrhea.
- Blood in the stool.
- The presence of worms or their particles in the feces.
- Itching and rashes on the skin.
- Swelling around the eyes.
Source of infection
Intestinal parasite eggs enter the external environment along with the faeces of infected humans or animals.Outside the human body, the eggs take days or weeks to develop into cysts or immature worms (larvae), which can enter the human body through dirty hands or when you eat unwashed raw vegetables.
Another source of infection is eating undercooked meat from domestic pigs, fish or wild animals (pigs, deer, etc.).
You can also become infected through fleas, which are carried by pets.
Certain types of intestinal parasites can penetrate the skin while swimming or walking barefoot;when they reach the small or large intestine they begin to develop into adults.
Types of intestinal parasites
Roundworms (nematodes)
human roundwormfound all over the world.It reaches a length of 16 cm and is as thick as a pencil.
Nematodes are mostly found in tropical regions.Once they enter the intestine, they begin to suck blood from the intestinal wall.
pinworms.White worms, no more than half a centimeter in length.At night, they can come to the surface from the anus and lay eggs in the area, which leads to severe itching.
Trichinella.They cause trichinosis;you can get infected by eating undercooked and contaminated meat.
They can travel from the intestines to muscles and other organs, where they form cysts, encapsulated forms that are difficult to remove.The main symptoms are pain in the stomach, muscles, joints, swelling of the eyes and rashes on the skin.
Trematodes
Blood clotscausing intestinal schistosomiasis.They are found mainly in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South America.They are no more than 25 mm long and about 1 mm thick.Blood fluke eggs can be found in feces and urine.
Cestodes
Wide tapewormenter the human body through the consumption of contaminated fish.The parasite can reach 10 m in length.It is widespread in Europe and the United States.
Cattle and pig tapeworms.You can get infected by eating undercooked beef or pork.
The parasite is distributed worldwide, and people living in rural areas are particularly vulnerable to infection.Adult worms can reach a length of more than 20 m.
Cucumber tapeworm.Often found in domestic dogs and cats.People are rarely infected with this intestinal parasite because the main cause of spreading cucumber tapeworm eggs is fleas.
Diagnostics and prevention
If you experience unexplained bloating, diarrhea, weakness or weight loss, your healthcare provider should first suspect intestinal parasites as a possible cause.To confirm this, you need to donate blood and stool for analysis.
For prevention, it is enough to follow the following recommendations:
- Always wash your hands after using the toilet, working with soil, and after contact with pets.
- Do not walk barefoot or swim in standing, shallow water.
- Heat the meat product thoroughly.
- Get regular medical checkups.